


I'm Falling for You at the Speed of Sound

by what_a_gust



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, overhead bin au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:14:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21798175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/what_a_gust/pseuds/what_a_gust
Summary: the new home of the overhead bin au
Relationships: Tobin Heath/Christen Press
Comments: 22
Kudos: 197





	1. A Comedy of Errors

**Author's Note:**

> the new home of the overhead bin au

Christen prides herself on being on time. And by on time she means a minimum of 10 minutes early. So how she ends up barely making her 10am flight is beyond her.

The universe must be really mad at her for something because every single thing that could have possibly gone wrong seems to.

First, her alarm doesn’t go off even though she triple checked that it was set before she went to sleep.

Then, her dogs won’t go outside. And then, they won’t get in the car. And then, then they won’t get out of the car at her sister’s.

When she finally gets on her way, she stops to get coffee at a drive-thru but the barista didn’t secure the lid properly so before she can even take a sip it spills all over her shirt and her lap and the front seat of her car.

She’s beside herself and practically in tears but she doesn’t have time to break down because she really needs to make this flight so she pulls over, blots at her shirt with some spare napkins that happen to be sitting in the car door, and takes some deep breaths, hoping that the smell of coffee will help her relax at least a little bit.

After the journey and a half that is getting to the airport, she parks her car in the lot she usually does but the shuttle to her terminal takes forever and it’s way to far to walk.

Then, the line for security, even with the pre-check, is the longest she’s ever seen it. And it’s not even a holiday, for god’s sake.

She finally makes it through when she hears her name being called over the loudspeaker.

“Passenger Christen Press. The doors for flight DL5739 will be closing in two minutes. Please report to the gate agent immediately. Passenger Christen Press, report to the gate agent immediately.”

Humiliation colors her cheeks but she manages to make it just in time and the gate agent gives her an admonishing look as he scans her ticket.

She runs down the jet bridge and onto the aircraft and immediately starts looking for a place to put her bag in the already very full overhead bins. She’s several rows passed her seat by the time she sees a space for her bag. She tries to lift it but her coat and purse are getting in the way and it starts to slip.

Suddenly, the bag feels weightless in her arms.

“Here, let me help you,” a gentle voice offers.

When the bag is finally put away, a woman with the most charming smile meets her eye.


	2. Sunshine Smile

Christen’s feet are rooted to the spot where she stands in the aisle of the plane. Her brain is screaming at her to move, to find her seat, to do anything but prolong the delay that she’s already caused. But her feet are stuck. And so are her eyes, on the gentle and understanding and overwhelmingly kind smile of the woman before her.

“Are you okay?” she hears, muffled as though the voice is filtered through a pillow. It draws her from her reverie and she shakes her head, hoping to settle her thoughts.

“Is there anything I can do? I, uhh, need to get back to my seat but um,” the woman trails off.

She realizes, then, that in shaking her head she had made the woman think something was wrong.

“Oh, uhh,” she stumbles over her words. “I-I’m fine. Sorry, I just need to get to my seat too.” She turns around quickly and looks for the empty row she had passed on her way to stow her bag.

She feels like the whole plane is staring at her but she moves as swiftly as the narrow aisle will allow. She plops into her seat with a crash, shoving her purse under the seat in front of her as quickly as she can. She leans against the window as she pops her headphones on and closes her eyes, hoping to let go of the day’s stress so she’ll feel rested when she lands.

//

Halfway through the flight, she wakes with a start. A spot on her arm feels vaguely sore and she looks down to see what happened but her eyes catch on an all too familiar smile.

“What are you doing here?” she blurts out before she can stop herself.

“Sorry I elbowed you, curse of being a lefty, but, umm, this is my seat. So I’m sitting here.” The woman laughs, not at all bothered by Christen’s bluntness, “I’m Tobin, by the way. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Christen is taken aback once again by Tobin’s kindness but her naps seems to have restored some semblance of her humanity so she reaches out her hand to shake Tobin’s and introduces herself in kind.

“So, where ya headed?” Tobin asks as she takes a huge bite of the sandwich she’s holding.

Christen looks at her quizzically, her nerves picking up again, “What do you mean ‘where am I headed?’ We’re on a flight to Atlanta, right?”

Tobin laughs again and somehow it manages to steady Christen’s racing heart, “Yeah, don’t worry. ATL here we come,” she gives a dorky fist-pump for emphasis. “But it’s literally the biggest airport in the country and it has the most connecting flights. So, even though we’re flying to Atlanta, you could be going anywhere.”

Her reasoning is sound, Christen thinks, and it causes her to smile in response. “Well, Atlanta is my final destination, at least for a while.”

“For a while?” Tobin asks through a mouthful of food.

“I travel a lot for work. I’m only there for a few weeks before I have to leave again.”

“So, what do you do?” Tobin covers her mouth, still chewing.

Christen thinks for a moment, deciding how she wants to answer. She’s not really in the mood to explain herself and doesn’t want to do the whole _yes, women can be athletes_ thing but Tobin seems cool and has been incredibly kind in their brief time together so she takes a leap of faith. “I’m a professional athlete. I play soccer for the Atlanta Freedom.”

“Oh my god, that’s so cool!”

Tobin’s excitement is a pleasant surprise and Christen laughs, “Uhh, yeah, I like to think so at least.”

//

They spend the duration of the flight talking about soccer and sports and the fight for equal pay that Christen is involved in. Tobin, it turns out, is a fan of Barca and Arsenal but never found a team in the MLS to connect with. As much as she’s supportive of equal pay for equal play, she never really followed the women’s sides for either of her clubs.

Christen doesn’t intend to go on a rant. In fact, she means only to encourage her to look into the women’s side but she ends up explaining how some clubs do right by their women and put up a united front where others only market their women when it’s convenient. She details her experiences with the different clubs she’s played for and how good it feels to be part of an organization that has equal resources for all of it’s teams.

By the time Christen concludes, one of the flight attendants is announcing that it’s time to put their tray-tables up and put their chairs in the upright position. She gathers up her things and finishes her water so that she can toss the cup in the bag when another attendant walks by.

“Well, what you’re doing seems super dope. I’ll definitely have to come to a game sometime,” Tobin offers with what seems to be genuine interest. “Gotta grow the game and all that,” she winks and Christen blushes.

But they’re seated pretty close to the front of the plane and as soon as they’ve taxied to the gate, Tobin is up out of her seat and stretching up to grab her backpack. She ducks down, “I’ve got another flight to catch but it was great meeting you, Christen. Good luck this season. I’ll be rooting for you!”

And with that, Tobin is gone. And Christen is left wondering if she was even real.


	3. Turbulence (Isn't Always a Bad Thing)

Christen and the rest of the Atlanta Freedom are all en route to the airport for their preseason tournament in DC with the Spirit, Sky Blue, and NYFC. She’s looking forward to seeing her friends and to playing against them. She knows preseason is important but after three weeks of spending all of her time with the same 25 people it’s starting to get old.

As the team takes turns yanking their bags out from the belly of the bus, Christen thinks back to the last time she was at this airport. Weeks later, she still finds her encounter with Tobin puzzling. Once again, when she recalls their conversation, which lasted several hours, she fixates on how little information Tobin shared about herself, instead continually turning questions back to Christen. She wonders if there’s any chance she’ll see her again or if she’ll always feel this sense of unsettling longing for something she can’t quite name.

//

They’re wearing team gear so they’re not exactly inconspicuous and since they’re not in a rush Christen feels pressure to sign and take a picture with all of the little girls who are brave enough to ask.

Just as she stands back up from kneeling down to sign for a child she guesses can’t be more than five when she turns around to the sound of a vaguely familiar voice, “I thought it was you. Or I, uh, hoped it was? Christen, right?”

She blinks a couple of times in disbelief as she registers the ever-so-charming smile that she may or may not have been daydreaming of for weeks, “Tobin?”

Though she didn’t think it was possible, Tobin somehow manages to spread her grin even wider as joy bubbles up from the tips of their toes into their chests.

“Yeah – hi! I was really hoping I’d see you again, do you think I could give you a hug?” Tobin asks with a sense of genuine wonderment in her voice that softens Christen and she finds herself leaning into Tobin’s open arms.

“What are you doing here?” she asks, wondering if maybe this time Tobin will actually reveal anything useful about herself.

Tobin laughs in such a way that Christen knows it’s directed at her finds herself strangely unbothered, “Catching a flight, obviously…”

Christen rolls her eyes, indignant, “You know that isn’t what I meant.” 

Tobin just laughs again, “But it’s what you asked!”

“Fair enough,” Christen concedes, ineffectively trying to mask the glee filling her heart at the thought that she’s the one making Tobin laugh. “In that case, where is your flight going? And why are you going there?”

“I’m headed to DC for work,” Tobin offers and Christen’s face lights up.

“Are you for real?”

Tobin nods.

“Which airport?”

“Dulles,” Tobin answers after double-checking the boarding pass on her lock screen.

Christen shakes her head in disbelief, “What are the odds? I haven’t flown at all since last time I saw you, this is insane.”

“Maybe we’re just meant to be,” Tobin offers with a shrug, she seems entirely too calm about the situation for Christen’s liking.

//

When Tobin goes to get some coffee, Christen realizes she should probably rejoin her team. Before she can even sit down, Kelley pounces.

“Pressy, who is that? And don’t you dare lie to me!” Kelley is looking at her eagerly, clearly hoping for some drama.

Christen rolls her eyes because in the decade that they’ve known each other, Kelley’s penchant for sticking her nose in other people’s business hasn’t wavered. “We met on my flight to Atlanta before preseason and were just surprised to see each other.”

Kelley deflates. It’s clear she was hoping for something juicier than that, “Really? That’s it? There’s nothing there?”

Christen pauses and Kelley scoots to the edge of her seat, “I didn’t say that.” She figures Kelley is as good a sounding board as any and by the time she’s finished explaining how charming she finds Tobin while knowing almost nothing about her, the gate agent is announcing that boarding is about to begin.

//

Christen passes Tobin as she walks down the aisle to the back of the plane where the team is sitting. Tobin waves but she already has her noise-cancelling headphones on and Christen has a line of her teammates behind her so she doesn’t bother saying anything.

Not long after she gets herself settled, the plane pulls away from the gate. The captain announces that they should be underway soon but warns that, due to a storm system over the Carolinas, some significant turbulence is to be expected.

//

Christen realizes that she must have fallen asleep because all of a sudden she’s jolted awake by the feeling that the plane is falling out of the sky. Having flown practically millions of miles for work, she’s unbothered but she glances around to check on her teammates.

As she scans the seats, her eye catches on a familiar hand that’s squeezing the arm of the chair to the point that she can see the knuckles are turning white from several rows back. Above the hand, there’s a hat-adorned head that appears to be bowed in prayer. Christen realizes quickly that despite her nonchalant attitude at the airport, Tobin isn’t able to extend her chill-ness to the turbulent flight.

She finishes her sweep and all of her teammates appear to be doing okay so she waits for the next drop and then rushes to unbuckle her seat belt and pops up before one of the flight attendants can tell her she needs to stay in her seat.

By the time she makes it up to Tobin’s row, she can hear one of them calling after her but she ignores it. She taps the guy sitting in the seat next to Tobin on the shoulder and says, “Hi, my friend here is having a hard time. Would you mind switching seats with me real quick? I’m 23C.”

He nods, seemingly pleased to be able to get away from the nervous mess. Tobin doesn’t look up once during the exchange so the guy just climbs over her and then Christen does the same.

Once she’s sitting down, she realizes that she doesn’t actually know what to say to a nervous flyer that would be helpful. She decides that since Tobin is wearing headphone anyway that she can just offer her a hand to squeeze.

She taps the top of Tobin’s left hand lightly and Tobin looks up, startled. Tobin starts to move her headphones but Christen shakes her head and offers her hand instead. It takes Tobin a second to loosen her grip on the armrest but as soon as she does, Christen slips her hand underneath and Tobin is quick to grab on. Christen puts her headphones back in and closes her eyes. She focuses on drawing small, soothing circles on the back of Tobin’s hand with her thumb.

//

It takes a while but eventually the plane makes it through the rough patch. The pilot turns off the seat belt sign and announces that the storm system is behind them. Everyone claps and Christen can see the anxiety melt from Tobin’s shoulders. This time when she starts to take her headphones off, Christen doesn’t stop her.


	4. In a Gay Way

“Thanks,” Tobin mumbles, clearly embarrassed, as she draws her hand back from Christen’s.

  
“No worries, my dad is a terrible flyer so I’m used to it,” Christen laughs, trying her best to let Tobin know that there’s really nothing to be embarrassed about. “So, you said you’re off to DC for work, can I ask what it is you do?”

  
“I’m a lawyer at the Southern Poverty Law Center, I focus mostly on LGBTQ+ cases since that’s what got me into civil rights in the first place.”

“Tobin, that’s amazing! Why didn’t you say anything?”

  
Tobin shrugs, so different from the calm and confident woman Christen had first met. “I dunno? You’re this bad ass professional athlete leading the charge for equal pay and I’m just a civil rights lawyer. I guess it kinda felt like you were better at my job than me and I didn’t want to say anything.” Her voice lowers in volume so Christen can barely hear her over the rumble of the plane’s engine, “I didn’t want you to think less of me.”

Christen reaches over and puts her hand on Tobin’s arm, “I’m so sorry if I gave you the impression that I would look down on you for th—,” but Tobin interrupts her before she can finish her apology.

“Dude, it’s so not you, you don’t have to apologize! I’m just,” she pauses trying to find the right words, “kinda self-conscious I guess? My whole family are corporate lawyers, in it for the money, ya know? And they don’t really take me seriously. So, even though I know that what I’m doing is important and worthwhile, I have a hard time talking about it with new people.”

“It’s amazing that you stick with it even though they aren’t supportive! Can I ask how you got started? You said it’s because of queer stuff?”

“Well, uh, yeah, but see, we don’t use that word, really,” Tobin trails off, unsure if she wants to start a conversation about appropriate language on pretty full flight, but before she has time to think through it, Christen’s voice cuts through.

“I’m gay, Tobin. Trust me, I know plenty about the politics of the word ‘queer’,” Christen is clearly trying not to laugh, “but I’ll say LGBT from here on out if you’d prefer.”

“Oh, uh, cool. I didn’t want to assume. But yeah, I’m gay too,” Tobin’s face breaks out into a broad smile, replacing the look of concern she’d been wearing a moment ago, grateful that she doesn’t have to lecture Christen. 

  
“And to answer your question, I grew up in New Jersey, so it’s pretty liberal up there. And then I went to college in North Carolina, and things on campus were fine. But so many of my friends who were from the South were terrified to tell their parents that they’re not straight because they didn’t want their church communities to find out and then feel like they couldn’t go home or they’d embarrass their families. And it was heart breaking to watch them wrestle with it. 

“But part of me fell in love with all the nature and the farming down here. So, I decided to get my JD and then got a masters in public policy as well. And I had a professor who set me up with an internship that turned into a job once I had my degree and I never left.”

“Tobin, that’s so amazing,” Christen is gazing at her with wonder in her eyes and it makes Tobin blush.

“It’s really no big deal, like I said, it kinda just happened that way.” Tobin shrugs, not used to receiving such high praise from people outside her professional network.

“It is a big deal, though. Like, sure, maybe you were lucky to have that initial connection. But you’ve obviously worked really hard for almost a decade to dedicate yourself to the organization and associated causes. I don’t want you to sell yourself short just because your family doesn’t take you seriously.” 

Christen pauses to catch her breath before continuing, “Maybe it’s not my place to say this, since we barely know each other, but I think you have way more integrity than the people who can’t see the value in what you’re doing.”

“Thank you, Christen. Like you said, we barely know each other. But I really respect you and the work you’re doing so you thinking the same of me definitely means a lot.”

//

They get so caught up in their conversation, Tobin seems to have endless stories now that Christen finally got her to open up, that they don’t even fully notice that the plane has landed until Kelley is walking up the aisle yelling at Christen that she better have a very good excuse for leaving her carry-on behind.

Christen blushes at Kelley’s implication, “I should probably go grab my stuff and meet up with the team. I am captain after all. And it would be unfair to ask them to be timely and then be late.”

“Oh, sure. Makes sense,” Tobin fiddles with the seat belt, trying to get it to release so she can stand up and let Christen out. It seems to be stuck, though, and she’s starting to get embarrassed again that she can’t get it undone so she gives up and loosens it enough that she can climb out.

When she turns back to grab her bag from under the seat in front of her, she sees that Christen has her hand covering her mouth and she’s clearly laughing at Tobin’s ridiculousness but instead of letting the embarrassment come back she forces it down and chooses to laugh with Christen instead.

She hangs out in the aisle, the rest of the plane had already cleared out, while Christen grabs her bag, debating whether or not she wants to ask Christen for her number or just hope that they happen to be on the same flight again. But before she can make a decision, Christen makes it for her.

“Hey, thanks for waiting. Before I go, I was wondering if I could have your number? In a gay way,” and then Christen winks, or at least tries to because both of her eyes close so it’s more of a wink but it’s cute and Tobin is quick to take Christen’s phone and add her contact info.

“So, I’ll give you a call some time? In a gay way,” Tobin teases as they finally head toward the door of the plane.

“I’d love that. Good luck at the conference, I can’t wait to hear about it,” Christen leans forward to hug her and Tobin is eager to return it.

It’s a good hug, and Tobin hasn’t had one of those in a while so she holds it a little longer while she wishes Christen well, “Good luck with the rest of preseason, I’ll be cheering for you!”

It’s not until Christen’s teammates come looking for her that they finally part ways. But at least this time they know they’ll be able to find each other again.


	5. A Long Drive

Tobin doesn’t really stop to consider that it might be a really bad idea until she’s already paid for parking at the stadium. 

The whole two hour drive she was sure it was a great idea and was buzzing with excitement at getting to see her favorite soccer play in real life for the first time. They’d been texting pretty consistently since their last airport run-in which had been almost a month ago and Christen seemed pretty optimistic about her team’s potential for the season. 

She had mentioned earlier in the week that their home opener was on Saturday afternoon. She was really looking forward to the hometown crowd after a less than friendly season opener in Louisville; which Tobin had made sure to watch and had sent a stream of texts reacting to in real time even though she knew that Christen wouldn’t see them until the game was long over.

Tobin had mentioned in response that she was looking forward to visiting her family in Florida for the week leading up to Easter since her nephews were on spring break from school. When Christen didn’t extend an invitation to the game, Tobin figured that she assumed she was going to fly down and thought that it might be fun to surprise her.

She was giddy when she bought the ticket, a seat in the section right behind the home team’s bench, and it was no easy feat to keep the plan to herself, especially as it became increasingly clear that Christen was fixated on the game.

So, it’s not until she sees a gigantic banner with Christen’s face on it hanging off the side of the stadium that she realizes she may have made a huge mistake.

She forces herself to get in line for security, it would be a shame to waste the ticket, but her palms get increasingly clammy with anxiety the closer she gets to the front of the line. She can’t help but think of all the worst possible outcomes: Christen being embarrassed that she’s there, Christen being angry, or the worst, Christen being completely apathetic. She knows those are all unlikely scenarios, that Christen is too busy to spend as much time texting as they do with someone she has no interest in. But, for some reason, she can’t seem to quiet her mind.

The anxiety keeps building, her muscles tense and her jaw clenched with worry, right up until the teams do their walkout and a thunderous cheer erupts as soon as the crowd spots Christen. 

She gets so caught up in how beautiful and powerful Christen looks that she forgets to be freaking out. By the time everyone stands for the national anthem, her anxieties are a thing of the past and her excitement from earlier has returned in full force.

//

She thought that she was emotionally invested in the game she’d watched on her computer the previous weekend but now she realizes that that experience doesn’t hold a candle to how energizing it is to watch the game in a stadium full of almost 40,000 screaming fans.

Each time an Atlanta player has the ball, especially in the attacking third, the crowd finds a way to chant in unison and Tobin is more than impressed. It almost makes her feel guilty that it took her so long to get into the women’s game; but she figures better late than never. 

Thirty-four minutes in, Kelley sends an arching ball across the box to the edge of the six where Christen is making a run. She beats her defender for positioning and she volleys it into the back of the net with one glorious touch. 

Tobin jumps out of her seat and screams with everything she has, arms above her head waving wildly in excitement. 

That goal seems to open the game up because less than five minutes later, Christen steals the ball from an Orlando player in the midfield and makes a run up the flank before cutting back and taking a shot that sails just over the keepers gloves and into the side netting.

//

By the end of the game, Tobin’s voice is hoarse from all the yelling. Christen had assisted her team’s third and final goal of the match late in the second half after Orlando had come back out and scored early. 

She’s unbelievably proud of Christen. The feeling fills her from her toes to the tips of her fingers and she can’t help but hope she’ll get to tell her that in person.  Tobin knew she was good, she had googled her stats and had watched some of her highlights, but nothing prepared her for how electric Christen’s presence on the field was. 

As she makes her way down towards the bench, she can hear a chorus of mostly young girls shouting Christen’s name, vying for her attention. Instead of joining in, Tobin whistles as loudly as she can. Christen looks up quickly before turning back to the girl in front of her. Then, a moment later she looks up again and her jaw drops when she realizes that Tobin is actually there, just a few rows away, and grinning like an idiot. 

She finishes signing the posters that are within reach and then signals to Tobin to come the rest of the way down.

Tobin does her best to be gentle and not push any of the kids ahead of her but the sense of relief that washes over her at Christen’s apparent joy in seeing her makes it hard to pay attention to anything else.

She can see Christen pointing her out to a security guard who climbs up a short ramp and unlocks a gate that lets her walk down to the field level. As soon as they’re within arms’ reach, Christen pulls her in for a tight hug and then pushes her away so that she can look at her.

“I can’t believe you’re really here!” Christen practically has to shout over the noise the fans are still making, trying to get her attention.

Tobin’s already huge smile just about doubles in size, “I’m just passing through on my way to Florida but I figured I couldn’t miss an opportunity to see a legend play in real life.”

Christen shakes her head in disbelief and bites the corner of her lower lip between her teeth in an attempt to control her own smile. “You’re really something, Tobin Heath. You know that?”

“I do what I can,” Tobin laughs and pulls Christen in for another hug.

//

The sideline, in front of fans, stadium staff, and Christen’s teammates and coaches, was definitely not the best place to catch up so Christen ushers Tobin down the hallway and gives her strict instructions not to wander while she showers and changes.

Christen is quick, quicker than Tobin was expecting at least - though after all she saw during the game she really shouldn’t be surprised, and only 15 minutes later she emerges from the locker room in a casual dress and slides with her wet hair braided over her shoulder.

“Do you have time to get dinner? Or do you have to be on the road? I know it’s a little early but I’m so excited you’re here. I mean, I just really wasn’t expecting to see you,” Christen starts to ramble.

Tobin cuts her off by pulling her into another hug, “Of course I have time for dinner with you, but you’ll have to pick the place since I really don’t know Atlanta all that well.”

“Great!” Christen exclaims as she pulls Tobin toward the exit. All of a sudden, she stops short and turns around, “You have your car here I’m assuming?” Tobin nods and Christen continues, “Then I’m gonna give my keys to Kelley since we drove here together and I’ll just go with you? I was gonna make her find another ride home but I think this makes more sense.”

“Works for me,” Tobin shrugs as Christen pulls her back down the hallway toward the locker room. 

//

Twenty minutes later, Tobin is handing her keys to a valet outside what appears to be a very fancy restaurant.

Christen smiles as she reaches for Tobin, linking their fingers together with one hand and pulling the door to the restaurant open with the other.

“Are you sure we’re dressed enough to be here?” Tobin asks when they enter the vestibule and everyone she can see is dressed way more formally than they are. She wipes her palms on her jeans, glad she opted for her usual black and a sweater, to accommodate the early-spring weather, that’s nicer than the t-shirts she usually wears.

“Yeah, it’s fine,” Christen laughs gently, “I know a guy.” Tobin gives her a skeptical look so she clarifies, “I texted him, the owner I mean, on our way over. His daughter is a big fan and we also had our end of season dinner last year after we lost in the semis.”

Tobin nods, feigning understanding but still pretty taken aback at how popular Christen is around the city. It makes her question how it was she’d never even heard of her before their first airplane encounter (and reminds her how lucky she is that Christen had been so uncharacteristically frazzled that day).

As soon as they reach the host’s desk, a large and well-dressed man steps out to greet them, “Hey, Christen, great to have you back!”

“Hey, Henry, thanks so much for squeezing us in!” Christen matches his enthusiasm but Tobin can tell that she’s playing it up for his benefit. 

He and Christen chatter on about people Tobin assumes must be mutual friends as he leads them towards the back of the restaurant and then up a set of stairs that leads to the private dining room. There are only a few tables spread around the large space and all but one has a placard reading “Reserved” in beautiful calligraphy, that last table being occupied already. 

Though there are big windows filling the wall along the street, the sunning having set means that the only source of light is from the dimmed sconces along the other walls, creating ambiance that Tobin can’t help but read as romantic.

Henry pulls out a chair for Christen at the table with the best view and once she’s comfortably seated, he pulls out the chair for Tobin. “Your server will be with you shortly, in the meantime, enjoy this bottle of  Dom Pérignon on the house,” he steps back to make way for a busboy to put the bottle in its ice bucket next to the table.

//

Dinner is absolutely delicious. Tobin can tell that Christen really had them pull out all the stops, which meant that they had five separate courses, so even though they started eating early, it’s already after 9 by the time they’re back in the car.

She looks at the clock nervously a few times as she waits for Christen to get settled. She tries not to be obvious but she realizes she must have been doing a bad job because Christen pulls her out of her thoughts with a gentle hand on her knee.

“Hey, I didn’t realize it was so late, I know you were supposed to get more driving done but at this rate you won’t get there until what? Like 3 in the morning?” Tobin nods in agreement at Christen’s guess, biting at her lip. “Then, why don’t you just stay with me for the night? And then you can get back on the road in the morning?”

Christen looks so confident that that’s the best option that Tobin knows there would be absolutely no use in arguing. As soon as she accepts that there’s no way she’s getting to her nephews until the following afternoon, the tension drains from her shoulders and the air in the car instantly feels lighter. “Yeah, that good call, let me just text my sister before we get on the road.”

//

Christen’s apartment is back the way they came, not too far from the stadium, so even though Christen gives her directions, Tobin is able to navigate without much help. 

Christen babbles on about something and Tobin is trying to listen but the closer they get to the apartment, the more nervous Tobin gets about what Christen is expecting to happen when they get there.

She grips the steering more and more tightly as her worry mounts. She sees Christen turn to look at her out of the corner of her eye, clearly waiting for a response to a question. She starts to answer, intending to say something generic that she hopes won’t give away that she has no idea what Christen asked but instead she blurts out, “Do you want to have sex?”

Christen looks utterly taken aback, “Wait, what? Where did that come from?”

“Sorry,” Tobin looks sheepish, “I got nervous when I realized that I was going home with you and that maybe you would want that, or were assuming that that’s what was gonna happen? Which is fine, and it totally can, but I just needed to know…” she trails off as they come to a red light.

Christen reaches across the center console to put her hand on Tobin’s thigh, “I invited you to stay over because I didn’t want you to feel like you had to drive 6 hours at night because I took up so much of your evening. That said, I’m definitely attracted to you and as long as you’re clean, I’m totally open to the possibility of us having sex tonight.”

Tobin takes a second to absorb what Christen said but before she can respond, Christen is speaking again.  “It’s this right up head, and then the second driveway on the left so make sure you turn into the left lane.”

Tobin drops Christen off in front so she can get a parking pass from the doorman and then parks in one of the guest spots at the front of the lot behind the building. She sits in the car composing herself until she sees Christen waving at her from the back door.

She grabs their bags from the trunk and steels herself, having made her mind up about what she wants. As soon as she’s inside, she drops the bags at her feet and pulls Christen close, wrapping her arms around her waist, “I’m not sure I want to have sex tonight but I am sure I want to kiss you, is that alright?”

As soon as she sees Christen nod, she leans in. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm working on a bunch of stuff right now but hopefully this was a nice little treat to tide you over. Come talk to me on tumblr at what-a-gust :)


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